BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Dreaming of a white Christmas isn’t all we’ll be able to do this year in the Lehigh Valley.
It looks like we’ll actually get to experience it, with a chance for fresh snow on the ground Christmas morning.
The National Weather Service says Arctic air delivered straight from the North Pole finally will begin to weaken and shift offshore Monday night, opening the door to another round of accumulating snow for the region Tuesday morning.
⚠️🧊❄️ A period of light wintry precip will impact the region Christmas Eve morning. Light freezing rain could result in untreated roads becoming icy & treacherous within the advisory area. Light snowfall of a dusting to near 1" possible along/NW of I-95. #PAwx #NJwx #DEwx #MDwx pic.twitter.com/BhUKbznpbS
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) December 23, 2024
Forecasters say a clipper system from the Midwest is expected to track east through the Great Lakes before passing through northern New York State, bringing snow showers all the way down through Pennsylvania early Tuesday.
With temperatures in the 20s overnight, snow is expected for the southern Poconos, northern New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley, though accumulations should generally be less than an inch.
“I think as far as anything sticking, it’s going to be in the same areas pretty much that just got the snow the last time,” EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich said in his latest video update.
If you’re traveling, a winter weather advisory for a mix of snow and freezing rain is in effect for portions of the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia, for Tuesday morning.
The definition of a white Christmas
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines a white Christmas as having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground as of sunrise on Christmas Day.
The Lehigh Valley has a good shot after recording nearly 4 inches of snow Friday night, followed by plummeting temperatures and some of our coldest air in two years.
The last time we met the criteria for a white Christmas was 2021, and the last time actual snow fell on Christmas Day was all the way back in 2002.
Historically, over the past few decades, chances of a white Christmas in the area are just 19%, according to NOAA, which uses 1991-2020 climate normals that cover three-decade averages of several climatological measurements.
Shifting pattern to follow the holidays
As Santa departs, so will the cold.
Following our light wintry precipitation on Christmas Eve morning, forecasters say Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day will feature “benign weather conditions.”
We can expect mostly clear skies, with temperatures expected to rebound compared with the frigid conditions over the weekend.
Highs are expected to be about 5 degrees below normal across the board, with temperatures Christmas Day in the 30s to low 40s.
The main story for the end of the week and into the weekend will be the shifting pattern, the weather service said, with highs pushing into the low to mid 40s.
